Cooling towers of various types and sizes are well known in the art. Some cooling towers are a cross-flow type whereby cooling air flows crosswise relative to downwardly-raining heated water. Other cooling towers are a counter-flow type whereby cooling air flows diametric to the downwardly-raining heated water. Some cooling towers, regardless of their type, are constructed in a manufacturing plant and shipped to the required location for installation while other cooling towers, particularly large ones, are erected in the field at the required location.
A prior art cooling tower 2 is illustrated by way of example in FIG. 1. A hanger grid 4 is supported inside the cooling tower 2. The hanger grid 4 includes a plurality of vertical hanger support members 6 attached at an upper portion of the cooling tower 2 and a plurality of horizontal hanger support members 8 that are connected to the vertical hanger support members to form a matrix of splash bar compartments 10 for receiving individual ones of the splash bars 12. Typically, individual ones of the splash bars 12 are horizontally inserted into alternating vertical and horizontal ones of the splash bar compartments 10 as shown in FIG. 1.
During cooling operations, the heated water HW rains downwardly from the upper portion of the cooling tower and contacts the splash bars 12. As is well known in the art, the splash bars 12 function to “break up” the downwardly-raining heated water HW, preferably into small water droplets, to enhance the cooling effect of the cross-flowing air or the counter-flowing air.
From the prior art cooling tower 2, one of the prior art splash bars 12 is illustrated in FIGS. 2-4. In FIG. 2, note that the horizontal hanger support members 8 are spaced apart at a horizontal spacing distance Dhs so that the prior art splash bar 12 can rest thereon and therebetween while the vertical hanger supports 6 are space apart at a vertical spacing distance Dvs which is sufficient to receive the prior art splash bar 12 therebetween. Typically, the vertical spacing distance Dvs is slightly larger than 4 inches while a width Wsb of the prior art splash bar is less than the vertical spacing distance Dvs or approximately 4 inches. As best illustrated in FIG. 3, the prior art splash bar 12 has a generally rectangular shape as viewed in cross-section. As viewed in FIG. 4, the prior art splash bar 12 rests on and between the horizontal hanger support members 8 that are spaced apart from one another at the Dhs of approximately 24 inches. This 24-inch spacing is sufficient for the prior art splash bars 12 to withstand the force of the raining-down heated water HW as the raining-down heated water HW contacts the splash bars 12 for a reasonable useful life.
However, when horizontal spacing distance Dhs between the horizontal hanger support members was increased to above the 24-inch spacing, the generally rectangularly-shaped splash bars 12 sagged along its longitudinally-extending length under the force of the raining-down heated water HW and subsequently lost effectiveness in “breaking up” the raining-down heated water HW.
The inventors desired to extend the horizontal spacing distance Dhs between the horizontal support members 8 but without making significant structural or material changes to the prior art splash bars 12 while maintaining effectiveness of the splash bars for a reasonable useful life.
It would be beneficial to provide a splash bar for insertion in its splash bar compartment with the horizontal hanger support members being spaced apart from one another at a horizontal spacing distance greater than 24 inches to save installation time and material cost. It would be beneficial to provide a splash bar with sufficient strength so that it can be inserted in its splash bar compartment with the horizontal hanger support members being spaced apart from one another at a horizontal spacing distance of greater than 24 inches, such as approximately 60 inches, and function effectively during cooling operations without sagging along the longitudinally-extending length of the splash bar. The present invention provides these benefits.